The Legend of Zelda: Tetra's Adventure
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: When her sister is kidnapped on her twelfth birthday, Tetra resolves to save her by all means possible. With the help of the sweet and charismatic Link and the wise old King of Red Lions, can she save her sister and defeat Ganondorf once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

**This idea's been buzzing around in my head for a while now. Basically, it's Wind Waker, except Link and Tetra's roles are reversed, although they retain their original personalities. Enjoy!**

XX

Nudge.

"Tetra."

A groan.

"Five more minutes, Aryll."

An exasperated sigh.

"_Tetra_."

Grumble.

"TETRA!" Tetra shot up straight at the noise of Aryll screaming in her ear.

"All right!" she yelled, defeated. "I'm awake!" Aryll giggled and squeezed her telescope. Tetra stood up and stretched contently. "What did you wake me up for?" she asked in what she hoped sounded gentle. Aryll giggled.

"Do you remember what day it is?" she asked. Tetra rubbed her drooping eyes. "You're still half asleep, aren't you?" Tetra gave a small groan and nodded. "Did you forget?" Tetra nodded again, yawning. "Big Sister, it's your birthday!" This woke Tetra up.

"What?" she gasped. "It is?" She racked her brain for the date. March 26… oh wait… that _was_ her birthday. "Oh… um…"

"That's why Grandma has been waiting for you to come back to the house!" Aryll said cheerfully, pointing to the house… all the way on the other side of the island. "She's been waiting for a while now… It's a good thing I came to find you! You should probably go home to see what Grandma wants, don't you think?" Tetra inwardly groaned as she began her descent down the ladder.

* * *

Tetra opened the door cautiously, expecting her grandmother to rip into her for not coming home the previous night. "Grandma?" she called.

"Up here, dear," came a voice from above. Tetra climbed the ladder and faced her grandmother. Being twelve, she was only slightly taller than the vertically challenged old lady.

"I'm sorry I didn't come home last night," Tetra immediately apologized. "You see, I fell asleep at the—"

"That's fine, dear," Grandma said cheerfully. "I've been waiting for you, Tetra." She was holding some folded green clothes in her feeble hands. "Tetra… Try these on." Tetra slowly began to undress as she took the clothes from her grandmother.

"Thanks, Grandma," Tetra said absentmindedly.

"Time certainly flies…" Grandma said, chuckling. "I can't believe you're finally old enough to wear these clothes." Tetra came to the long-sleeved green tunic and frowned slightly. Grandma helped her pull the shirt over her head and pull the belt on. "Today is a day to celebrate! It is the day that you become the same age as the young hero spoken of in all the legends. You only have to wear them for one day, so don't look so down. You wanted to wear them like all the other boys, remember? Be proud, child!" Tetra pulled her long hair out of the back of her shirt and fidgeted with the hem of the skirt… err… kilt. "In the olden days, this was the day boys were finally considered to be men. Unfortunately, girls were not considered to be women until much later."

"If I'm wearing these clothes, I don't think that applies to me," Tetra mumbled.

"They were taught the ways of the sword to prepare them for battle with their enemies." Tetra's face lit up at this. "But we don't live in such an age anymore… Our ways are the ways of peace. Nowadays, I suppose Orca is the only one on the island who still knows anything about swordplay."

"Can I—"

"Don't even think about it." Grandma gestured to the shield hanging in the middle of a wreath on the wall. "Hanging the family shield on the wall as decoration is another tradition that has been carried down from those days. Does this make sense to you?" Tetra nodded quickly, bored of the history lecture. "Isn't that nice, Tetra? They suit you perfectly! A perfect fit! Well, tonight I'm going to invite the whole town over for your birthday party, so I'd better start getting ready, shouldn't I?" A wide grin spread over Grandma's face. "Your grandma is going to make your favorite soup for you tonight! Mmmmm! I just know you're looking forward to it! Now, go get Aryll." Tetra nodded and said goodbye to her grandmother before leaving home.

* * *

Tetra climbed up the ladder to the lookout. The lookout had been her and her sister's special place for years, and she never grew tired of climbing up its long ladder. "Hey Aryll," she greeted.

"Ah!" Aryll gasped as she looked back at Tetra. "'Hoy, Big Sister!" She stared down at Tetra's green garb, and Tetra wiped the sweat off her brow. "Did Grandma make that outfit for you?"

"Yeah," Tetra replied. "People wear it when they come of age."

"But wow…" Aryll continued, raising her eyebrows sympathetically. "You look like you'd be way too hot in those clothes…" Tetra crossed her arms stubbornly.

"It's only for one day," she insisted. "I'll manage." Aryll giggled.

"I guess they're pretty neat though," she said. "So anyway, Tetra… Can you close your eyes and hold out your hand? Just for a second!"

"Um…" Tetra mumbled awkwardly as she closed her eyes and held out her hand. "Ok…"

"I'm going to give you my most treasured belonging… but just for one day!" Aryll announced. Tetra smiled, already knowing where she was going with this. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Tetra felt something cool and metallic in her hands. She opened her eyes, only to see Aryll's favorite red telescope in her hands. Tetra just stared at it in shock. "So? Well? Do you like it?"

"Of… Of course!" Tetra replied. "It's just that… are you sure you want to give me your telescope? Even if it _is_ for one day…" Aryll nodded stubbornly.

"I'm sure!" she yelled. "I'm letting you borrow this special gift just because you're my big sister! Aren't you lucky? Hee hee hee!"

"Wow…" Tetra mumbled. "Thanks Aryll! I'll be sure to take care of it!"

"Ooh, why don't you try it out?" Aryll prompted. "Right now! Try looking over at our house from here!" Tetra peered into the telescope and zoomed in on her house. Aryll giggled, and she smiled. She then zoomed in on the red postbox near her house, where the Rito postman who always delivered mail to Outset Island stared up at the sky. He leapt into the air and flapped his wings repeatedly. Aryll giggled again. "The postman looks kinda weird, doesn't he?" Tetra giggled.

"Yeah," she agreed. "What's up with him?" Aryll suddenly shrieked. "Aryll? What's wrong?"

"Tetra!" she yelled. "The sky! Look up in the sky!" Tetra obeyed her sister without question and saw an enormous black bird with golden plumes flying through the sky.

"Wh-What is that thing?" she stuttered. Projectiles seemed to be flying towards it. A pirate ship sailed close to Outset Island, shooting cannonballs at the bird. "What's going on?" The bird looked back once, and the pirates seized this opportunity to shoot the bird. The bird gave a squawk of pain and, out of its talons fell a young boy with blonde hair. Tetra stared through the telescope at the boy and watched as he fell into the forest.

"Tetra, this is so terrible!" Aryll stuttered. "That boy fell into the forest! He needs help!"

"I'll go find him," Tetra said as she prepared herself to climb down the ladder.

"No!" Aryll yelled. "It's too dangerous for you to go in there without something you can use to defend yourself with!"

"Orca!" Tetra gasped. "Grandma said he still practices swordplay! I'm sure he has an old sword lying around somewhere!" She pocketed Aryll's telescope and began climbing down the ladder. "I'll be back soon, Aryll!"

* * *

An old man with a long spear stood at the center of the room. "Orca!" Tetra yelled. "Orca! You have to help me!"

"Oh!" he gasped. "What is the matter, Tetra? You have an urgent look about you… has something happened?" Tetra opened her mouth to speak, but Orca cut her off. "Whatever it is, from the look on your face, I suspect it is no laughing matter. What say you, Tetra?"

"This gigantic bird just dropped this boy into the forest!" Tetra yelled. "He needs help!"

"Ah," he said. "I see. Have you come for some serious instruction in the way of the sword?" Tetra nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, sir," she answered. Orca nodded and walked over to a cabinet to the side of the room. He pulled out a small silver sword and handed it to Tetra. Tetra, who had sparred with Orca before on various occasions, felt comfortable using the sword as she sparred with Orca. After what felt like eternity, Orca shouted, "That was a fine display!" Tetra smirked.

"Thanks," she replied breathlessly. Orca chuckled.

"And yet… I sense a certain anxiousness in the sword you hold… an eagerness that goes far beyond than the mere desire to be wielded on the fields of battle…"

"Right…" Tetra mumbled. "Whatever that means."

"I do not know what has happened…" Orca continued solemnly. "But I have faith in you. Somehow, I doubt you will misuse that sword. You may have it, Tetra. I give it freely. Take the blade with you…"

"Thanks Orca!" Tetra yelled, throwing her arms around the old man and hugging him tightly. Orca chuckled again.

"Now be careful," he warned. "Since the olden days, this sword has been used to fend off evil. Its blade is infused with the desire to become strong and righteous." Tetra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"It's a _sword_," she emphasized. "How can it have feelings?" Orca just shook his head.

"You will understand when you are older…" he told her, "or perhaps when you are more experienced…" He put his hand on Tetra's shoulder. "Be strong, Tetra." Tetra smiled and nodded.

"I will," she affirmed. She dashed out the door. "Thanks, Orca!" And with that, she ran up to the forest.

* * *

Tetra entered the forest hesitantly, her hand shaking as she held the sword Orca recently gave her. She looked up and, hanging by his blue shirt from a tree was the young boy from before. "I hate this forest," Tetra grumbled to herself. "It's so creepy." She walked forward hesitantly, only to feel a slight tickle at her cheek. She shrieked and jumped back, only to see a tiny fly buzzing near her head. She sighed and held the sword out in front of her. "Get a grip, Tetra," she whispered to herself. "You can do this." She climbed up a ledge and walked through the tall grass. Soon enough, standing in front of her was a black figure with fangs. Tetra shrieked and slashed at it repeatedly with her sword. Within seconds, it was dead. She sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off her brow. "No worries," she told herself. "That was nothing…" She climbed up a stump and jumped onto another ledge. Then she walked over a knocked over tree stump to another ledge and jumped down. The boy was now clearly in sight. There was a mighty squawk as two black birds flew overhead and dropped two creatures similar to the one she saw before. They growled at her menacingly, and Tetra screamed. She clasped the sword with both hands and slashed at it. "Stay away from me!" she yelled as she slashed at the two black creatures. Once both were dead, Tetra gave a humongous sigh of relief. She looked up to the boy and braced herself to climb up the tree, but the boy opened his eyes slowly and gasped at the ground.

"Din's fire!" he cursed. He struggled to get off the branch but to no avail.

"Hang on!" Tetra yelled. She ran up to the tree just as the branch the boy was hanging from snapped. The boy plummeted to the ground. Tetra stretched her arms outwards, hoping to catch him, but he fell into her, knocking her to the ground as well. "Ow…" she groaned.

"Ow!" the boy yelled. He studied Tetra's features. "Who… Who are you?" Tetra took a deep breath.

"I'm—"

"Oh, that's right!" the boy exclaimed. "That giant bird came and…"

"Dropped you in this forest," Tetra finished. "Now can you _please_ get off me?"

"MR. LINK!" a new voice yelled. Tetra looked over at the entrance to the forest, only to see a larger pirate man jumping up and down and waving his arms in the air. He ran over to Tetra and the boy and knelt down in front of them. "Oh! Oh, thank… Thank the goddesses! You're safe!" The boy link grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, Gonzo," he replied. "I'm all right."

"When I saw you get dropped on this summit, I thought for sure you'd…" the man Gonzo trailed off and Link frowned.

"Summit?" he repeated. "So that bird dropped me on the top of a mountain?"

"Yes he did," Tetra answered. Link pouted.

"Well that wasn't very nice of it…" he remarked. He picked himself off of Tetra and dusted off his clothes. "Let's go, Gonzo. It's time we repay that bird in full."

"But, sir…" Gonzo protested. "What about this girl?"

"She'll be fine on her own!" Link called, already at the entrance to the forest. "Let's go!"

"For the love of Nayru!" Tetra yelled. "I just saved your life! You could _at least_ say thank you!" But it was too late. Link was gone.

* * *

Tetra followed the boy Link and the other pirate out of the forest. Aryll was waiting on the other side of the bridge. "Big Sister!" she called, waving. Tetra laughed and waved back. Aryll giggled and began crossing the bridge. Suddenly, Tetra heard the sound of flapping wings; the giant black bird was back. It swooped down and flew right for Aryll.

"Aryll, look out!" Tetra cried. But it was too late. The bird grabbed Aryll with its beak and flew away. "ARYLL!"

"BIG SISTER!" Aryll wailed. Tetra drew her sword and took a few steps back before dashing and leaping for the bird. Too bad she didn't realize that she was just about to hurdle off a cliff. She shrieked as she lost her footing and shut her eyes as she waited for the fall, but something grabbed her hand, stopping her descent.

"Ugh…" Link groaned. Tetra looked up to see him struggling to keep her from falling. "Get a grip! She's gone now, so there's nothing you can do!" Tetra felt tears well up in her eyes as she stared at the giant bird growing smaller and smaller as it flew away. Link jerked Tetra's hand, hauling her up. The other, bigger pirate grabbed her other hand to steady her. Tetra blinked back tears as she stared at the bird, growing smaller and smaller as it flew off into the distance.

"Aryll…" she mumbled. Link looked at her for a few brief seconds.

"Come on, Gonzo," he whispered quietly. "Let's go." Tetra stared at the floor, unable to comprehend what just happened. Link looked up at Tetra. "You coming?" Tetra nodded slowly, dragging her feet behind him.

* * *

"What?" Link gasped as he stared at Tetra incredulously.

"I want to travel with you on your ship so I can find my sister," Tetra repeated for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Do you understand what you're asking?" Link asked, a serious expression on his face. "We're pirates. A little girl like you could get hurt getting involved in our business." Tetra jabbed her finger in his chest.

"First of all, I'm not _little_. I'm _your_ age. _Second_, what's wrong with having a girl tag along?" Link sighed and placed his hand to his forehead.

"Look, we really can't afford to look after you all the time." Tetra stomped her foot in the sand.

"I don't need anyone to look after me! I can look after myself!"

"You have no right to get angry at _me_." Tetra grinded her teeth and clenched her fists.

"My sister, a six-year-old girl who wouldn't hurt anyone if her life depended on it, just got kidnapped by an oversized Cucco for _no apparent reason_, and _you_ say I have no right to be_ angry_?" Link took a step back.

"Look… I know how you must feel, with your sister having been kidnapped and all… But that doesn't really have anything to do with us, now does it?"

"And how do you figure that…?" said a new voice. Tetra turned to see the Rito postman from before, frowning at Link with his arms crossed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there!" Gonzo yelled at the postman. "Just who are you? Where do you get off butting in on someone else's conversation?"

"Please!" the postman insisted. "All I mean to say is that if you big, bad pirates hadn't come to this quiet little island… that poor girl wouldn't have been snatched away by that bird."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"Just be quiet for a moment, and I'll tell you! Now, as my work entails in delivering letters, I spend much of my time traveling amongst the many different islands. As a result, I hear many things… Haven't any of you heard word that young girls have been getting kidnapped from all regions of the Great Sea? No matter. Whether you've heard it or not, that seems to be the case. Young girls with long ears like yours have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again. And unless my eyes fail me, the young girl who was just kidnapped from this island also has long ears, does she not? Just like _you_, Mr. Fearsome Pirate." Link threw his arms in the air.

"That doesn't make any sense!" he yelled. "That bird mistook me for a girl!"

"Yes, but it found another, so it kidnapped her," replied the postman morosely.

"Wait!" Tetra exclaimed. "I have long ears too! Why did the bird kidnap my sister instead of me?" The postman stared at the floor.

"It's hard to say… Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was young Tetra who saved you from the monsters in the forest, wasn't it?" Link stared at Tetra incredulously.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"Of course it is!" she replied. "So will you take me or not?"

"Oh!" the postman interrupted. "And while I'm at it… I may as well tell you that the bird that kidnapped both you and Tetra's sister has made its foul nest to the north, on the heights of the Forsaken Fortress."

"The Forsaken Fortress?" Link repeated. "Isn't that the place where…" The postman crossed his arms.

"So, what are you going to do? Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to give Tetra a little help, now would it?" Link shrugged.

"I guess…" he mumbled. "Even if I were to consider it, lately I've heard nothing but evil rumors about the Forsaken Fortress." He turned to Tetra. "Even if you can defend yourself, you can't hope to make it there and back alive with nothing but a sword. You need something to protect yourself with. Like a shield or something. If you come back with something like that, we'll let you stow away on our ship." Tetra nodded her head.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Oh, and one more thing," Link continued. "Once we leave, you won't be coming back here for a while, so you should say goodbye to your family while you have the chance." Tetra nodded.

"Ok," she replied. "I'll be back. I'll hunt you down and strangle you if you even think of leaving without me."

"Now, no need to get so violent," the postman said to her. "Just go get a shield and come back. I'll make sure they don't leave." Tetra nodded.

"Thank you." And with that, she ran for home.

* * *

"Grandma!" Tetra yelled as soon as she entered the tiny house. She dashed up the ladder and faced the empty wall. "Grandma, where…" She jumped down the ladder and faced her grandmother, who was facing the wall.

"Tetra…" she said quietly.

"Grandma…" Tetra replied.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she asked, turning around and showing Tetra the shield. Tetra nodded hesitantly.

"Grandma, Aryll—"

"Take it with you," Grandma said, ignoring Tetra. Grandma hung her head. "I guess it's true… Aryll really has been kidnapped… hasn't she?" Tetra hugged her grandmother to her chest and let the tears fall.

"This giant bird came out of nowhere and just took her away!" she cried.

"What kind of monster could take such a sweet, young child?" Grandma sobbed. Tetra pulled away from her grandmother and wiped her eyes.

"I… I'm going to save her. I'm traveling with these pirates to the Forsaken Fortress. Apparently, that's where she's being held." She pulled her grandmother in for one last hug. "I'm not sure when I'll be back… Bye, Grandma." And with that, Tetra left the house. She practically sprinted down the beach to the pirates' ship. Just as promised, Link was still waiting at the front. "I found a shield," she panted as she drew to a halt in front of him.

"It looks really old," he commented. "Are you sure you can still use it?" Tetra nodded confidently. "Well… if you're ready, then let's go." Tetra released the breath she didn't even know she was holding and nodded. She turned and smiled at the Rito postman, who was also waiting there.

"Thanks for your help," she said shakily.

"It's all right," the postman replied. "If you ever need my help, just let me know."

"Ok…" Tetra replied. "I'll do that." And with that, she followed Link onto the ship.

XX

…**So? Did you like it? What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And it's another humongous chapter! This is where things start going a little differently than in the game. Enjoy!**

XX

Tetra gazed pensively out at the waves, sighing heavily. "This sucks," she grumbled. "Worst birthday ever."

"It's your birthday today?" Link asked, standing next to her. Tetra nodded sadly.

"I kind of hoped that I wouldn't have to remember the day I came of age as the day my sister was kidnapped by a giant Cucco," she said, "but yeah. It is my birthday." Link smiled.

"Wait here," he instructed. And with that, he dashed deeper into the ship. Tetra just rolled her eyes and resumed watching the horizon. After a few minutes, Link returned with a small purple satchel. "Happy birthday." He held the satchel out to her and Tetra held it awkwardly.

"Wow…" she mumbled. "Thanks. What is it?"

"A spoils bag," Link replied. "If you kill off a few enemies and the things they drop catch your fancy, you can put them in here."

"Why would I need to kill—" Tetra began, but Link cut her off.

"You want to save your sister, right?" he asked. Tetra nodded. "It's going to be pretty hard for you to save her without killing _something_." Tetra shuddered. "Have you even set foot outside Outset Island?"

"No," Tetra replied.

"You've never been to Dragon Roost, that place where all the Rito come from?" Link asked. "Not even Windfall Island?"

"No," Tetra said again. "I've never been anywhere besides Outset Island." Link looked up in the sky.

"We're sailing north right now," Link explained. "North is where Nayru's Star is. You know what that is, right?"

"Yeah," Tetra replied. "It's on the hilt of the Master Sword. It's the brightest star in the constellation." Link grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, that's right," he said slowly. "So if you're ever sailing and you don't know where you are, look for Nayru's Star. It'll tell you where north is. Then there's Farore's Star on the trunk of the Great Deku Tree in the west and Din's Star on Ganondorf's belt in the east. So just look for those three stars and you'll know which way you're going." Tetra stared up at the sky. She could see the three stars, faint red, green and blue spots in the sky.

"It's kind of weird, don't you think?" she asked.

"Why would you say that?" Link asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I mean, you'd expect Din's Star to be north, Nayru's Star to be west and Farore's star to be east," Tetra said seriously. "That's how it is in the original Triforce, right?"

"Well I guess they named the stars based on their color," Link clarified. "So you're into Hylian legends too?"

"My parents would read them to me and my sister all the time when we were little," Tetra replied, smiling a little.

"So they don't anymore?" Link asked. This seemed to dampen Tetra's mood.

"No…" she mumbled. Link's expression softened, already knowing where she was going with this.

"When did they…" he trailed off, hoping Tetra would answer.

"My father died when I was six," Tetra explained. "I barely remember him. Aryll was a baby then, so she wouldn't remember him either."

"What about your mom?" Link prompted.

"She died two years ago," Tetra mumbled sadly.

"I'm sorry," Link said. "My mom… passed away a few months ago."

"Oh…" Tetra mumbled. To her surprise, Link smiled.

"But I don't mind," he continued. "The pirates… Gonzo, Niko, Nudge, Senza, Mako and Zuko… they're like my family. They'll always be there for me, no matter what. I can count on that." He sighed. "So is it just you and your sister right now?" Tetra shook her head.

"There's Grandma too," she said. "She was so sad when she found out that Aryll…" She trailed off and sighed. Link took her hand and began pulling her towards a door. "Where are we going?"

"My room," Link replied flatly.

* * *

Tetra gazed around the room. Almost every inch of the walls was covered with some picture or poster. Above his bed was a particularly large poster of a blonde man clad entirely in green, holding a glowing sword. "That's the Hero of Time," Link explained. "The man who sealed evil away in the Sacred Realm one hundred years ago." He smirked lightly. "I take it you're a fan of his?" Tetra stared down at her green tunic and blushed.

"Not really…" she mumbled. "On Outset, boys who come of age have to wear this for a day."

"But you're a girl," Link clarified.

"Really?" Tetra shot back sarcastically. "I did _not _notice that. Anyway, I didn't think it was fair that only the boys got to go through this ritual when they turned twelve, so I told Grandma that I wanted that ritual for me too." She fumbled with her kilt. "I didn't know that wearing this was part of that ritual. I didn't really want to wear this, but Grandma got it in her head that I should participate in the _whole_ tradition, including wearing this thing."

"It's kind of weird, seeing it on a girl," Link admitted.

"Yeah, well get used to it," Tetra retorted. She gazed up at the portrait of a brown-haired woman hanging on the opposite wall. "Is that your mom?"

"Yeah," Link said sadly. The brown-haired woman in the portrait smiled confidently, looking absolutely fearless.

"She looks really strong," Tetra commented.

"She was," Link replied. "The strongest person I've ever known… well, next to you, of course."

"M-Me?" Tetra repeated, her face growing red. "But we just met!"

"But you've got guts, going all the way to the Forsaken Fortress just to save your sister," Link complimented. Tetra smiled.

"Thanks, Link," she said. Suddenly, there was a knock at Link's door.

"Mr. Link?" a nasally voice called.

"What is it, Niko?" Link asked gently.

"What would you like for dinner?" the rather short pirate, presumably Niko, asked.

"Ask Tetra," Link replied. "It's her birthday today." Tetra crossed her arms stubbornly.

"That's really not necessary," she refuted. "I don't think I should be celebrating when my sister's being held hostage by a giant Cucco."

"Fine," Link sighed. "Just the elixir soup then." Tetra gasped. How did he know that elixir soup was her most favorite food in the world?

* * *

"Tetra?" Tetra's eyes fluttered open to see Link gently shaking her awake. They were both at the top of the mast, looking out for the Forsaken Fortress, but Tetra had fallen asleep a few hours after night fell. "We're here." Tetra sat up, clutching the blanket wrapped around her. She was _sure_ that wasn't there before… She pulled out Aryll's telescope and gazed at the fortress. Several searchlights shot beams of yellow light into the ocean.

"Din's fire," she cursed. "That place is too heavily guarded. We'll never get in." She groaned in exasperation. "This is hopeless!" Link's face slowly lit up.

"No it's not," he said suddenly. "I can get you in there. It'll be painful, but a lot more painless than getting caught in there."

"Is it really so dangerous?" Tetra asked.

"The Forsaken Fortress used to be the hideout of a group of pirates whom we were rivals with," Link explained. "But then there was this huge accident, and this place has been abandoned for years... until now. All I've heard are nasty rumors about this place. Long story short, it's suicide going in there without some sort of plan."

"What did you have in mind?" Tetra asked. Without warning, Link slipped something over her head. It was a faintly glowing blue stone with a black string wrapped tightly around it. "What's this?"

"It's a special pendant," Link whispered. "I guess you could consider it another birthday present." Tetra stared at it.

"Pretty," she said sarcastically. Link smirked.

"I know, it is," he said. "But it serves an even better purpose. Through this stone, I can see what you're doing and communicate with you." Tetra's eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Link replied, nodding. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a similar pendant. "I have one too."

"So what's the plan?" Tetra asked.

"I'm going to catapult you over there to that window," Link said, pointing to a window where a bunch of seagulls flocked together.

"Why that window?" Tetra asked.

"There's so many seagulls there," Link explained. "I bet that's where they're keeping your sister." Tetra nodded.

"So you're going to catapult me?" she asked. Link nodded.

"It'll be painful," he said again. Tetra shook her head.

"I can deal with it," she insisted. "Whatever it takes to save Aryll." Link looked rather uncomfortable.

"All right," he said uncertainly. Within a few minutes, Tetra had climbed inside a barrel, curling up into a ball to fit inside. "Tetra, are you sure about this?" Link asked.

"I'm sure!" Tetra called from inside the barrel. Link shook his head.

"You're insane," he commented.

"Deal with it!" Tetra shouted. Link took a deep breath.

"Ok," he said. He nodded towards the pirates. "Three… two… one." Gonzo fired the catapult, and Tetra screamed as her barrel flew through the air. The barrel flew through the window Link mentioned, and all the seagulls seemed to part sideways for Tetra's barrel. A few seconds after she landed, a large, pig-faced man peered inside her barrel.

"Hey!" he shouted in a deep voice. "Intruder!"

"Din's fire…" Tetra cursed. She leaped out of the barrel and took off running, but everywhere she turned, there were more pig-faced men. She grasped the stone Link gave her earlier. "Link, you catapulted me into the wrong room!"

"I know," Link said. "I'm sorry. I noticed shortly after we catapulted you."

"How am I supposed to shake these things off and get to Aryll?" Tetra yelled, swerving sideways so that the Moblin heading straight towards her and the Moblin chasing her collided. They bounced off each other, looking dazed and confused. "What do I do?"

"Your sword!" Link yelled. "Kill them!"

"Are you insane?" Tetra shrieked as she drew her sword hesitantly.

"Hey, you wanted to be the hero, so this is how you do it!" Link yelled back. "Everything in there except for your sister is an enemy! Just cut down everything in your path!" Tetra yelled as she swung her sword in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. "Open your eyes! You won't be able to see your target!" Tetra snuck a peek at the two Moblins, who had now regained consciousness and were dashing towards her. "Now Tetra!" Tetra slashed at the two Moblins, killing them both. "Atta girl," Link complimented her. "Now see if there's anything on their corpses." Tetra gazed down at the two Moblins lying dead on the floor.

"Just these weird necklaces," she said as she picked up a rather colorful necklace with a skull-shaped pendant.

"Keep them, just in case," Link instructed. "They might come in handy later. If not, you can probably sell them for a profit." Tetra pocketed the two skull necklaces in the spoils bag Link gave her earlier. "All right. Now the only way you can get up to where they're keeping your sister is if you shut off all the searchlights and get up there yourself."

"Isn't there a room that leads there or something?" Tetra asked.

"There's only one door that leads there, and that's on the outside," Link told her. "The searchlights are on the sides of the fortress. There's three of them, and you're going to have to shut off all of them if you want to make it all the way up to your sister." Tetra nodded and got straight to work. Guarding each searchlight was a creature almost completely identical to the ones she had seen in the forest on Outset Island.

"Link, how do I turn this thing off?" she asked the stone hanging around her neck. "The guy controlling it is dead, but it's still going."

"Tetra, do you see this blueprint?" Link's voice asked. Tetra clasped the stone and squeezed her eyes shut. An image floated up to her mind, a faded brown piece of parchment with a complex diagram on it. "There should be a switch right around here." She saw a finger point to a spot on the blueprint. Tetra went and stooped down to press the switch.

"Got it!" Tetra said triumphantly. She proceeded similarly with the other two searchlights.

"All right, Tetra," Link said finally. "Look at this map here." Through the stone, Tetra could see a map of the Forsaken Fortress. "You're sister's up here." Link pointed to a spot on the top of the fortress. "The thing is, you need to work your way _around_ the fortress, _up_ there. So take this route here." He traced his finger along the side of the fortress. "Around this way… and then you're going to need to sidestep across this really narrow ledge to finish getting there. Get it?"

"Yeah," Tetra said.

"Don't be afraid to kill anything if you have to," Link warned.

"But I'll try not to anyway," Tetra said as she set off towards the tower. In the next room were two Moblins. They both noticed her immediately and began charging towards her. Tetra swerved between them and dashed up the door. With great difficulty, she pried open the door and shut it just before the Moblins could catch her. She sighed in relief when she found herself outside again, but this time, another Moblin was there. Tetra ran again, but the path seemed to end after a bit. "Kill it, Tetra!" Link shouted from the stone. Tetra drew her sword hesitantly and yelled as she swung it, killing the Moblin with one slash. She picked another skull necklace off the corpse and proceeded to where the path ended.

"Uh, Link?" Tetra said into the stone. "Where do I go from here?"

"You're almost there, Tetra," Link assured her. "There's a really narrow ledge just in front of you." Tetra could see a tiny path jutting out from the wall.

"You mean I have to walk across _that_?" she asked rhetorically.

"Tetra, it's the only way you'll get up there," Link said, sounding rather exasperated. "Unless you wanted your not so little bird friend to give you a lift."

"No way in the Sacred Realm is that happening," Tetra said as she pressed herself against the wall and began to sidestep across the narrow ledge. She groaned as she stared at the waves dozens of feet below her. "I hate heights!"

"Don't worry, Tetra," Link assured her. "You'll be fine. Just don't look down."

"Easy for you to say!" Tetra retorted as she began to lose her footing. She screamed as her knees shook. Link just chuckled.

"You're almost there," he said soothingly. "Just a little farther. Think of Aryll." Tetra squeezed her eyes shut as an image of her sister popped into her head. She could clearly remember her sister lending her telescope for her birthday. It seemed like so long ago… Tetra sighed in relief as the narrow strip of land widened into a new path. "There. You made it. Now your sister's not too far ahead." Tetra nodded.

"Thanks, Link!" she yelled as she broke into a run. She dashed up the path and shoved open the door at the top. Inside the room was a large case holding not only Aryll, but an older blonde girl and a brown-haired girl, both with pointy ears.

"Aryll!" Tetra yelled as she ran up to the cage. She grasped the bars with both her hands.

"Big Sister!" Aryll yelled as she ran up to the bars.

"Thank the goddesses you're ok!" Tetra cried.

"Who's that, Aryll?" the brown-haired girl asked.

"This is my big sister Tetra, Maggie," Aryll introduced. "She's here to save us!"

"Hang on, just a second!" Tetra said in a hushed voice. "Let me just get these bars open." She tried to pry open the door.

"It's useless," the blonde girl said in a slightly nasally voice. "It won't open. You think we haven't tried already?"

"Just hold on!" Tetra insisted. Suddenly, Aryll gasped.

"Big Sister, look out!" Tetra looked up, only to see the giant black bird who kidnapped her sister swooping towards her. It caught Tetra in its talons and began its descent upward. "BIG SISTER!"

"ARYLL!" Tetra yelled, trying to reach down for her sister. She struggled in the bird's wicked grasp. "Let… me… go!" But the bird didn't let go. It flew over to what appeared to be a large wooden ship set off from the top of the Forsaken Fortress. It landed on a balcony, dropping Tetra on a red velvet carpet.

"Ow!" Tetra yelled as she slowly stood up. She gasped as she saw a tall dark man with fiery red hair looming before her.

"It appears we missed one," he said in a deep voice. Tetra couldn't see his face, but he could see his eyes glowing bright crimson. He lifted Tetra up effortlessly by her right hand and began scratching the back of it with the nail on his thumb.

"Hey!" Tetra yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"No sign of the Triforce," he said.

"Triforce?" Tetra repeated. "What in Farore's name are you talking about?" The man dropped Tetra, and she fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"She bears a striking resemblance to her, but she is not Princess Zelda," the man continued. His eyes flickered towards her dangerously. "Just a stubborn little girl who could not mind her own business."

"Hey!" Tetra yelled again. "It _is_ my business! You're in charge of that bird, right? You kidnapped my sister! She didn't even do anything wrong! Let her go!"

"I don't see the need," the man said.

"Let her go!" Tetra yelled again. She reached for her sword, but the man swiped at her with his arm, knocking her back.

"I can't believe they sent a little girl to stop me," the man said, almost mockingly. He turned towards the large window in the room and said something in a language Tetra couldn't understand. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the giant black bird had lifted her again, this time with its beak. "Dispose of this girl. She is of no further use to us." Tetra felt herself falling as the bird nodded its head. It then proceeded to fling Tetra out into the Great Sea. Tetra screamed as she flew farther and farther, and, as she painfully hit the water, everything went black.

* * *

"Mr. Link!" Gonzo yelled, rushing into Link's room. Link looked up from his map of the Forsaken Fortress.

"What is it, Gonzo?" he asked.

"It's that girl Tetra!" Gonzo yelled. "Zuko saw her flying out into the Great Sea!" Link shot up.

"What?" he yelled. He grasped the blue stone laying next to him on the bed and squeezed his eyes shut, seeing Tetra lying either unconscious or dead in the Great Sea. Link sprinted up onto the deck of the ship. "All hands on deck!" he shouted. "We're going to look for Tetra!"

"But she could be anywhere!" Niko protested. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

"No!" Link yelled. "We have to save her! Prepare to set sail!" The rest of the pirates went about their business, readying the ship to sail. "Give me that." Link snatched Zuko's telescope away from him without morning and climbed up into the lookout. He peered through the telescope into the sea, but there was no sign of Tetra. Link instantly panicked. "Put some wind on those sails!"

"Yes, Mr. Link!" the pirates shouted, one by one.

"Zuko!" Link yelled as he tossed the telescope to its original owner. As the ship slowly moved away from the Forsaken Fortress, Link sat on his knees and clasped his hands together. "Oh goddesses…" he prayed. "Please, let her be ok…"

XX

**So those of you who hoped to see something different from the original game, here it is! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Tetra noticed when she woke up was the sun beating down on her. She slowly opened her eyes; it felt as if they had been sewn together. She moved her hand slightly and noticed that she was lying on some sort of wood. _Did I fall asleep at the lookout again?_ she thought. _So why do I feel like I'm floating? _She felt a dull, aching pain in her stomach. _I'm so hungry… when did I eat last?_ Suddenly, everything came back to her. The giant bird dropping Link in the forest on Outset Island, the bird coming back to kidnap Aryll, herself going to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue her, Link's urging for her to kill something, the tall, dark, red-haired man in charge of the entire fortress and… the bird flinging her across the Great Sea. "No way…" She hauled herself into a sitting position and stared down at her own body, expecting it to disappear any moment. She could have _sworn_ she died... She surveyed her surroundings, taking note that she was sitting in a rather small red boat with its prow shaped like a dragon's head. She appeared to be on the coast of some island, under a large rock that seemed to form an arc around her. Off into the distance, she could see a windmill. She moved her hand slightly, only to feel Link's pendant under it. She carefully slipped it over her head and continued to stare off at the windmills. "Where…"

"You are on Windfall Island," said a voice behind her, "home to various merchants and sailors." Tetra couldn't help but scream as she noticed that it was the boat who said this to her. She scooted back away from the boat's head. The boat threw its head back and let out a deep, hearty laugh.

"A talking boat!" Tetra gasped.

"I commend you for your observational skills," the boat said dryly.

"Well I don't buy it," Tetra insisted as she shot straight up and stumbled over to the boat's head, ignoring the spinning feeling in her head. She pried open the boat's mouth and stared into it. "This is some sort of scam." She quickly withdrew her hands quickly as the boat's mouth snapped shut.

"I assure you, this is no scam," the boat said earnestly. Tetra's dizziness only grew worse the longer she stayed on her feet. She groaned as she put a hand to her head and slowly sat down. "Now I suggest you sit for a few moments. You have been unconscious for almost a week now." Tetra's eyes widened in shock.

"A whole week?" she repeated.

"Almost," the boat replied, its mouth curving up into a wry smile. "It wouldn't be the wisest idea to push yourself so hard just moments after you've awoken." Tetra crossed her arms and turned her head away.

"Hmph," she grunted. "I don't need you to tell me that."

"Now allow me to introduce myself," the boat continued. "I am the King of Red Lions, the only boat in this vast ocean that can speak the tongue of man." Tetra drew her sword. "Do not fear… I am not your enemy." Tetra just gripped her sword harder.

"Yeah, easy for you to say," she grumbled.

"I mean you no harm," the King of Red Lions said, and Tetra hesitantly sheathed her sword. "I have been watching you since you went to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue your sister."

"Do you know why she was kidnapped?" Tetra asked automatically. "Why her and not me? I have blonde hair and pointy ears! Why her?" The King of Red Lions studied her face closely.

"I understand how your desire to protect your sister could give you the courage to fearlessly stand up to anything," he said, "but such a bold attempt was foolhardy!"

"Fearless?" Tetra retorted. "I couldn't kill anything until Link forced me to, and I couldn't cross that narrow ledge without him talking to me the entire time."

"And Link is that pirate who has been helping you this whole time?" the crimson boat asked.

"Yeah, that would be him," Tetra replied. The King's face turned serious.

"I suppose you saw him…" he said, more to himself than to Tetra. "The shadow that commands that monstrous bird…" Tetra shuddered, memories of that tall, dark man still vivid in her mind. "His name… is Ganon… He who obtained the power of the goddesses, attempted to cover the land in darkness, and was ultimately sealed away by the very power he hoped to command… He is the very same Ganon, the emperor of the dark realm the ancient legends speak of. I do not know why the seal of the goddesses has failed, but now that Ganon has returned, the world is once again being threatened by his evil magic."

"And let me guess," Tetra said, holding up her hand. "You want me to defeat him." Before the King of Red Lions even had a chance to respond, she jumped into the water and trudged onto the land. "Forget it. I don't have time for this. I need to save Aryll."

"Your courage upon entering the Forsaken Fortress the first time was admirable, but going back with so little preparation is downright stupidity," the King warned.

"Forget it," Tetra said again as she stalked off. She made her way over to a hill and grabbed the charm around her neck. "Link," she said clearly. "Link, can you hear me?" It took several seconds for Link to respond.

"Tetra?" came his voice from the charm. "Is that really you?"

"Who else would it be?" Tetra retorted. Link laughed.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really you!" he said cheerfully.

"What do you mean?" Tetra asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Well…" Link mumbled. "Tetra… we all thought you were dead. We looked for you for a few days, and a couple hours after you… you know… I couldn't see you through the stone anymore…" Tetra remembered how she wasn't wearing her stone when she woke up. "So… are you ok?"

"I feel fine…" Tetra mused. "A little wobbly, but I'm ok." She gave a heavy sigh. "Link, what are the chances of you making it all the way to Windfall Island and giving me a ride to the Forsaken Fortress?"

"You want to go _back_?" Link asked incredulously. "Don't you want to lay low for a bit?"

"How?" Tetra yelled. "That guy's keeping my sister in a _cage_, Link! I have to—"

"Look, you were pretty reckless, wanting to go to the Forsaken Fortress in the first place," Link said in a steady voice, "but going _back_ is just downright stupidity."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Tetra yelled. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she willed them not to fall. "What am I supposed to do?" Link didn't respond. "Link?"

"How did you get to Windfall Island?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh…" Tetra mumbled. "This talking boat saved me."

"A talking boat?" Link repeated. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"No!" Tetra yelled. "I swear, he talks!"

"Well…" Link continued uncertainly. "What did he say?"

"He just said that there's this evil man running the Forsaken Fortress and I have to defeat him," Tetra told him. "But I don't have time! I need to rescue Aryll!"

"Did it ever occur to you that defeating the guy behind the Forsaken Fortress would help free your sister?" Link asked.

"Um…" Tetra mumbled. "No…"

"Here's what I think," Link said. "I think you should go with the boat for now. He's obviously going to help you save your sister since he's asking you to defeat the guy who kidnapped her in the first place. The two go hand in hand, you see?" Tetra exhaled slowly and nodded. "Yeah, and another thing. I'm on Outset Island right now. Everyone thinks you're dead."

"WHAT?" Tetra screeched. "Tell them I'm ok! Right now!"

"I was going to do that anyway," Link grumbled. "Let me know how things turn out, ok?"

"All right," Tetra replied, nodding. "See you."

"Bye." Tetra dropped the stone and dragged her feet back to the King of Red Lions. The boat raised its head as she approached it, staring at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked. Tetra took a deep breath.

"I'll do it," she sighed. "I mean… defeating this Ganon guy is definitely going to save my sister right? So it's like killing two birds with one stone." The King of Red Lions nodded.

"Exactly," he said. Tetra fumbled with her fingers.

"But…" she mumbled. "Do you honestly think I can do it? Finish the Hero of Time's job?"

"How much experience do you have with swordplay?" the King asked. Tetra shrugged.

"Well I trained with Orca a lot while I was on Outset Island, and I _did_ make it up to my sister in the Forsaken Fortress, even though… you know…"

"But you hesitate to kill," the King pointed out. "In most cases, that is most certainly a good thing, but—"

"I know," Tetra grumbled. "I have to kill stuff if I want to save Aryll."

"Exactly." The King of Red Lions nodded its head. "Now we shall set sail for Dragon Roost Island, home of the Ritos."

"All right!" Tetra hopped into the boat and clasped its sides to steady it.

"But alas, I have but one weakness. I cannot take you anywhere without a sail."

"What?" Tetra screeched. "Then how in the holy name of Farore did you save me then?"

"I found you not too far away from this island," the King explained, "and it took me almost a week to bring you all the way back here."

"Oh… So we'll travel faster if I get you a sail?"

"Precisely." Tetra hopped out of the boat and wrung out the spots on her clothes splashed with water. "Go explore this island. Get something to eat. Find a sail, and bring it back here." Tetra nodded cheerfully.

"Ok!" and with that, she ran off.

* * *

"Wow…" Tetra whispered as she twirled in a circle on the ball of her right foot. She snapped several pictures with the pictobox that kind old man had given her, of both innocent bystanders and buildings. A ringing noise filled her ears as Link's pendant began shuddering and glowing. Tetra quickly pocketed the pictobox and lifted the stone. "Yeah?" she said lazily.

"Having fun?" Link's voice asked.

"Uh huh!" Tetra replied, grinning. "Everything here's so big!" She twirled on her foot again. "There's so many people!" Link chuckled.

"I know, right?" he replied. "I reacted the same way the first time I went there."

"Oh, you're from a small island too?" Tetra asked.

"Yup," Link replied. "Greatfish Isle."

"Hmm…" Tetra mumbled. "I've never heard of it." To her surprise, Link laughed out loud.

"You haven't heard of _any_ island other than Outset Island, I'll bet," he laughed. "But not that many people know about Greatfish. It's just a small fishing village." There was a pause. "Oh, Tetra! Some of your friends want to talk to you."

"Tetra, Tetra!" a high-pitched voice squeaked.

"Hey Zill!" Tetra greeted, a wide grin breaking across her face.

"Mr. Link told us about what happened," Zill said.

"Um…" Tetra mumbled.

"You're still going to rescue Aryll, right?" Zill asked naively.

"Of course!" Tetra replied confidently. "What kind of sister would I be if I didn't?"

"Hi Tetra!" a new, slightly less high-pitched voice greeted.

"Hey Joel," Tetra greeted.

"You're really brave," Joel complimented. "Did you know that?" Tetra couldn't help but laugh.

"Yup!" she replied.

"Hello Tetra," Joel and Zill's mother, Rose greeted. "You know that little piggy you brought me a few days before you left?"

"Oh yeah, how is he?" Tetra asked curiously.

"He's growing quite nicely!" Rose said. "We've decided to name him Link after your little friend here. Of course, if he were a girl, then we would have named him Tetra, but—"

"That's fine," Tetra cut her off.

"Be studious, Tetra!" Sturgeon instructed.

"Keep your head up, Tetra," Orca warned. "Remain on your guard at all times. Don't show your back to anyone."

"Ok," Tetra said.

"Oh, Tetra?" a frail old voice said. Tetra gasped.

"Grandma!" the cried.

"Stay strong, Tetra," she warned. "We are all so proud of you."

"So hurry up and bring Aryll home!" Zill yelled.

"Yeah!" Joel agreed. Tetra laughed and said goodbye to everyone on the island.

"Thanks Link," Tetra said into the stone before letting it slip back down and continuing her search for a sail.

* * *

"What do you mean it costs eighty rupees?" Tetra yelled, knowing perfectly well that she only had twenty.

"I'm sorry, Miss," the Eskimo shopkeeper Zunari apologized, "but this sail costs that much."

"Well can't you lower the price?" Tetra pleaded, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry," Zunari apologized again, "but I recently opened up my shop, you see. Therefore, I must maximize profits."

"But—" Tetra protested.

"Eighty ruppes," Zunari said flatly. "I won't go lower than that." Tetra sighed. It was time to bring out the big dogs. She stared at Zunari with wide eyes glistening with tears, and her lower lip – slightly projected outward into a pout – quivered.

"Please," Tetra choked. "I'm begging you. My sister… She was just kidnapped by this giant bird, and I need to go save her, and—"

"Oh, my dear goddesses!" Zunari gasped. "I am so sorry!" He quickly thrust the sail into her hands. "Here. You can have the sail free of charge. Now go rescue your sister." Tetra wiped her eyes and forced a smile.

"Thank you," she said before walking away. Once she was out of the shopkeeper's view, she did a little victory dance. "Works every time!" she whispered to herself as she ran back to her new red boat. The King of Red Lions looked up at her expectantly.

"Glad to see you in a better mood," the crimson boat commented. "I see you've finally put some color back into those cheeks. You were so pale before…"

"I got a sail!" Tetra cheered, waving the piece of cloth in the air. The King of Red Lions bowed his head.

"Very good," he said. "We've wasted too much time here. Let us set sail to Dragon Roost Island, home of the Rito tribe."

XX

**Writing this story makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I really don't know why. I hope it's as enjoyable for you to read as it is for me to write. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow…" Tetra stared in wonder up at the giant red dragon sitting upon the summit of the mountain on Dragon Roost Island. She could not seem to tear her gaze away from the dragon, and settled for scrutinizing each of its features. Its neck was long and lean, though its stomach was a round sphere. It wore a fierce scowl upon its face. Suddenly, it gave a mighty roar and thrashed violently. Tetra jumped back involuntarily. "What's wrong with the dragon?"

"Lord Valoo has been acting very strangely lately," the King of Red Lions told her, "and nobody knows why." Tetra gulped nervously.

"You're not going to make me fight that thing, are you?" she squeaked.

"Lord Valoo?" the King of Red Lions asked. "Goddesses, no!" Tetra gave a tremendous sigh of relief.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked her boat.

"You must see this dragon and request from him a jewel called Din's Pearl," he instructed. Tetra's eyes narrowed up at the dragon.

"If he's acting weird and basically kills everything on sight, how am I supposed to see him?" Tetra asked.

"Ask the people of the Rito tribe who inhabit this island about how to see the dragon," the King of Red Lions replied. Tetra sighed and dragged her feet through the sand as she prepared to meet the Rito tribe, grumbling under her breath. "Oh, I almost forgot! Wait just a moment!" Tetra spun on the balls of her feet to face him.

"What is it?" she asked. Now, the crimson boat held a pearly blue sort of instrument in his mouth.

"This is the Ocarina of Time," he explained. "It is what enabled the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny to defeat the evil lord Ganondorf all those many years ago. But not only that: it is blessed with the power of the goddesses themselves. Centuries ago, simply playing it allowed one to borrow the power of the goddesses, but I do not know if it still works." Tetra stepped toward her boat, and he dropped the Ocarina into her outstretched hands. "Even so, I thought it might be of some use to you. Perhaps you should try using it." Tetra stared down at the deep blue Ocarina, running her fingers over its smooth, smooth surface. She traced her fingers along its side and then up to part of the instrument that spiked upwards. Her fingers found three golden triangles, embedded into the silver band wrapped around the bottom of the spike.

"So I blow through here?" Tetra asked, holding the instrument up so that the spike was facing upwards.

"Yes," the King of Red Lions replied, nodding. Tetra took a deep breath and blew into the Ocarina as hard as she possibly could, and a shrill, ringing noise emanated from the Ocarina. She promptly dropped it into the sand, and the King of Red Lions cringed. "Blow into it more gently," he suggested as Tetra picked the Ocarina up off the sand and wiped it with her tunic. She then blew into it again, this time producing a shaky, yet distinct note.

"Like that?" Tetra asked. The King of Red Lions smiled gently.

"It takes a little practice," he said.

"Ok." Tetra pocketed the instrument carefully.

"Now get going," the King of Red Lions instructed.

"Are you going to be ok over here?" Tetra asked. "You'll be all alone."

"I will manage somehow," the boat said. "Now go."

* * *

Tetra walked up a hill and wiped the sweat off her forehead; just before, she was forced to use bombs from bomb flowers to blast open boulders that were blocking her path. There seemed to be a small balcony overlooking the sea. Standing at it was a Rito with a satchel at his waist. Tetra recognized him immediately. "Quil!" she cried happily. He turned around and gazed quizzically at her.

"Tetra?" he said. "Tetra, is that you? It is! I'm pleased to see that you're ok."

"It's great to see you too, Quil," Tetra replied, shaking his hand.

"I must say…" Quil began hesitantly. "You've traveled far for one with no wings." Tetra laughed.

"I guess you could say that," she said.

"And your sister," Quil continued. "Is she…" Tetra's face fell and her eyes averted to the floor.

"I couldn't save her," she admitted. "I… I just barely got out of the Forsaken Fortress alive. The man in charge of it told his bird to throw me out… _literally_." Quil smiled gently at her, and she began to play with her fingers nervously. "I hope Aryll's ok. I mean, everyone in that cage was so _thin_. Do they even feed them there? And she and those two other girls looked absolutely miserable."

"Is that so?" he asked. Tetra nodded sadly. "Well don't worry too much. I'm sure she'll hang in there. She _is_ your sister, after all." Tetra forced a smile.

"Y-Yeah," she said shakily. "I'm sure Aryll will be fine."

"I have an idea, Tetra," Quil said. "Would you like to meet our chieftain? I've told my people here about you, and all of us Rito are very concerned. I'm certain my chieftain will befriend you and lend you the aid of our aerie." Tetra grinned broadly and nodded.

"Yeah, that would be great!" she said.

"It's settled then!" Quil announced. "I'll fly on ahead and let everyone know you're coming. Come inside, Tetra. I'll be waiting!" Tetra grinned as he flew away and proceeded to the entrance to the Ritos' home. Inside were five Rito – one in the air, talking to a regal-looking Rito clad in a red robe, Quil, standing next to the regal-looking Rito, and two Rito standing behind them.

"Well?" the regal-looking Rito asked. "Have you discovered the cause of the great Valoo's anger?" Tetra walked up hesitantly.

"Um…" she mumbled. "Hello." She did an awkward little curtsey. "Are you the chieftain?"

"Ah, so you are Tetra, are you?" the Rito asked. "Quil has told me all about you. And yes, I am the chieftain."

"Hello," Tetra said again.

"A troubling tale indeed…" the chieftain mused. "I insist that you let us know if there is anything we can do to help you. We shall do everything in our power to assist you." He looked rather uneasy, and Tetra frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"We have a problem of our own to deal with…" the chieftain began hesitantly.

"When you arrived, did you notice the raging dragon perched atop the mountain?" Quil asked.

"You mean Valoo?" Tetra asked, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, I saw him."

"As you can see, we of the Rito tribe are profoundly connected to the sky," the chieftain pointed out. "We make our livings on the airways. We do so by the graces of the sky spirit Valoo. When a Rito reaches adulthood, he or she journeys to the top of Dragon Roost to receive a scale from the great dragon. It is this scale that enables a Rito to obtain his or her wings. Recently, however, the once gentle Valoo has turned violent and unpredictable. Sadly, we can no longer approach him. If this continues, the fledglings who are of age will never be able to receive scales from Valoo on Dragon Roost. They will be wingless, and in time, our very way of life will be threatened. As chieftain of the Rito tribe, my first responsibility is to solve this problem. My apologies, but I must ask you to wait for our assistance until this is done. Will you do so?"

"Yeah," Tetra said. "Is there anything I can do to help?" The chieftain and Quil glanced at each other, and both smiled.

"That's very nice of you to offer, Tetra," the chieftain said, "but I am sure you have a much greater problem to deal with at the moment." Tetra's thoughts flickered to Din's Pearl. She laughed nervously.

"Don't worry," she said, already formulating a plan to ask Valoo for the pearl after saving him. Surely it would be a fair exchange. Quil turned to the chieftain.

"Chieftain, what do you think of consulting Tetra with regards to your son, Prince Komali?" he asked. _Komali?_ Tetra thought. _I've heard that name before…_ "As you can see, Tetra is a brave young lass. I feel certain that Prince Komali will open his heart to her and speak freely of is fears and worries." The chieftain seemed to ponder this for a minute.

"Let me be direct," he said finally. "My son, Komali, is of the age to earn his wings. Yet… he is weak, in some ways…" Tetra frowned slightly. _Well that's not fair_, she thought. _Fear doesn't necessarily translate to weakness…_ "And in light of the current situation, he may just give up ever getting them. What say you? Will you share some of your courage with my son?"

"Um…" Tetra mumbled awkwardly. "I… I'm not sure I'm the best person to—"

"Nonsense, Tetra," Quil said. "You ventured all the way to the Forsaken Fortress, and you still live to tell the tale. That is no easy task." Tetra sighed.

"Look, you're blowing this _way_ out of proportion," she said. "Sure, I went to the Forsaken Fortress, but that was just recklessness. And really, there's no way I would have gone if my sister hadn't gotten kidnapped."

"You just proved my point right there," Quil said. "You were courageous enough to venture there to save her. And you managed to survive—"

"But I just got _lucky_," Tetra insisted. "The guy who wanted to get rid of me wanted to dispose of me. He could have done it any way he wanted. I just got lucky when he decided to throw me out into the Great Sea where I'd still have a chance of survival. If he just killed me right there, then—"

"But he _didn't_," Quil interjected.

"And the fact that you are still willing to go back to save your sister proves that you are certainly courageous enough," the chieftain pointed out. "So… will you meet with my son?" Tetra sighed.

"Ok," she said a little reluctantly. "I'm not sure how much help I can be, though."

"I thank you!" the chieftain said cheerfully. "We shall do our best to solve our problem as quickly as possible so that we may better help you with yours." Tetra smiled and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you so much," she said sincerely.

"There is something I wish for you to give to my son," the chieftain continued. "A young girl named Medli is holding it for me. Would you find her and take it?"

"Chieftain," Quil interrupted. "With all due respect, Tetra has traveled a considerable distance to reach here. Perhaps it would be best to let her rest for a day or so before she goes to talk to Prince Komali."

"I can't do that!" Tetra protested. "I have to—"

"I agree," the chieftain said, "with Quil. You cannot keep pushing yourself like this; it is very unhealthy. Your health comes first."

"But—" Tetra protested.

"Tetra, if you keep pushing yourself, you will ultimately become too weak and exhausted to save your sister," Quil told her bluntly. Tetra fell silent. "Now why don't I direct you to the bathhouse? You can freshen up there."

* * *

_"Big Sister, won't we get in trouble for this?" Aryll asked worriedly. Tetra smirked down at her little sister._

_"Yeah, but it's so worth it," she retorted. _

_"But if we put rocks in the mailman's bag, he won't be able to fly away," Aryll mumbled._

_"That's the point, dummy!" Tetra exclaimed. She sat down next to Aryll. "You see, when he can't fly away, he gets this really funny look on his face. Kind of like he's constipated."_

_"All this… just to see him make a funny face?" Aryll asked naively. Tetra laughed._

_"Yup!" she said. She rubbed her hands together evilly. "Watch and learn, little sister." When the Rito postman turned away, Tetra snuck over and dropped five large rocks into his bag. She quickly scurried behind the bushes before he could catch her, and Aryll wore a shocked expression on her face._

_"No, Big Sister, the postman will get so mad," Aryll whimpered. Tetra ruffled her sister's hair affectionately._

_"No he won't!" she assured her. "We're kids! It's not like he can do much to us anyway." Orca strolled down to the mailbox._

_"Good day, Quil," he greeted pleasantly._

_"Oh no, Orca's here," Aryll whimpered. "He'll know it was us! What do we do?" _

_"Shush," Tetra snapped, clapping a hand over Aryll's mouth._

_"Good day, Orca," the Rito postman Quil greeted. _

_"I hope business is good," Orca said._

_"Oh, absolutely," Quil affirmed._

_"And how is the young Prince Komali?" Orca asked. Quil gave a heavy sigh._

_"The poor boy misses his grandmother so much," Quil lamented. "He's locked himself in his room and he refuses to see anyone but his father and his grandmother's student Medli."_

_"Tetra, who's Komali?" Aryll asked. Tetra frowned._

_"I don't know," she said. "Whoever he is, he sounds pretty important." Tetra sighed heavily. "Whoever he is, I feel bad for him."_

_"Why?" Aryll asked._

_"Because his grandma died," Tetra answered sharply._

_"That's so sad…" Aryll mumbled. "I don't know what I would do if Grandma died." Tetra looked down at her pouting sister and hugged her tightly._

_"Aw, don't worry," she assured her. "Grandma doesn't look it, but she's really tough. You know how she goes to Orca's house all the time? I bet he secretly teaches her how to fight with a sword."_

_"Really?" Aryll asked, her eyes growing wide._

_"Think about it," Tetra said. "She's always so lively. The way she yells at us when we come home dirty or skip baths… it doesn't really look like she's over fifty years old." Aryll giggled._

_"Well, I'd best be going now," Quil announced._

_"Quiet," Tetra hissed. "Watch this." Quil attempted to lift his bag. His hands shook and he groaned, but the bag refused to rise from the ground. Tetra and Aryll giggled as he tried and failed again._

_"Is something the matter?" Orca asked. Quil sighed._

_"I can't seem to lift my bag," Quil admitted._

_"Let me try then," Orca volunteered. Orca bent down and grabbed a hold of the bag's handle and heaved. The bag rose a few inches off the ground, but Orca dropped it almost immediately and fell backwards. Tetra and Aryll giggled even more._

_"See?" Tetra asked. "I told you it was worth it!" Aryll couldn't answer because she was laughing so much. Suddenly, they found themselves face to face with Orca._

_"I thought I smelled a rat," he said disapprovingly, frowning at them both. "Looks like it was two." Tetra gulped._

_"What do we do now?" Aryll whispered. Tetra grabbed her sister's arm and bolted away from Orca._

_"We run," she said simply, "really fast!"_

* * *

"Tetra?" Tetra jerked her head upwards. Quil stood at the doorway, his delivery bag slung over his shoulder. "I hope you're comfortable." Tetra forced a smile.

"Oh yeah," she said shakily. "Thanks." Quil stepped into her room. On the bed the Rito's had given her, she laid the Ocarina of Time and the pendant Link gave her. She felt so clean, now that she had taken a bath and changed out of her green tunic into a simple red dress the Rito had lent her.

"Is everything all right?" Quil asked concernedly, frowning slightly. Tetra nodded.

"Really, Quil, it's fine," she said. "I just… I was just thinking about Aryll…" To her surprise, Quil chuckled.

"Well if she's anything like you, I'm sure she'll be able to hang on long enough for you to rescue her," he assured her. Tetra smiled more naturally this time.

"Thanks Quil," she said sincerely, "for everything." She gazed down at his delivery bag. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes," Quil affirmed. "Outset Island, incidentally."

"Oh," Tetra mumbled awkwardly. Quil stood there for a minute before turning to leave.

"Well, I'd best be off," he said.

"Hey Quil?" Tetra called just as he proceeded to walk out of the room. Quil came to the door and stuck his head into her room.

"What is it?" he asked. "Do you need something?"

"N-No," Tetra stuttered. "Just… Sorry for all those times I put rocks in your bag." An expression of shock crossed Quil's face.

"That was you?" he asked, dumbfounded. Tetra laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. Quil chuckled. "Well you _were_ a child back then." He crossed his arms across his chest. "Though I can't help but ask… why did you do it?" Tetra giggled.

"You got this really funny look on your face when you couldn't lift your bag," she explained. "No offense or anything, but we loved watching you when you couldn't lift your bag." Quil raised his eyebrows.

"We?" he repeated. "We who? You and…"

"Aryll," Tetra finished. To her surprise, Quil smiled warmly.

"That's quite all right," he assured her. "It appears you were closer to your sister than any of us thought." This seemed to dampen Tetra's mood a bit. She clasped her arm tightly and stared at the floor sadly. Quil made his way over to her bed and lifted the Ocarina of Time. "This is quite a nice instrument you have here," he said, quickly changing the subject. "Wherever did you get it?"

"Um…" Tetra mumbled, not quite sure how to explain to him that her talking boat gave it to her without sounding crazy. In the end, she decided to come clean. "I… I met this talking boat in Windfall Island."

"The King of Red Lions?" Quil guessed. Tetra gasped.

"How… How did you…" she stuttered. Quil chuckled before handing her the Ocarina.

"I have heard of him," he told her simply. "He and Lord Valoo are… acquaintances, so to say." Tetra turned her head to the side.

"So I guess he wasn't crazy when he asked me to ask a freaking _dragon_ for a pearl," she muttered to herself.

"Oh, it's Din's Pearl you want?" Quil asked.

"Uh…" Tetra mumbled. "Um… well…"

"I can hardly blame you," Quil said. "I'm not sure of the details, but apparently the goddesses' pearls unlock a sort of gateway to the heavens. Gain all three pearls and you gain access to the power of the goddesses themselves." His eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Though you never struck me as the greedy, power-hungry type…" Tetra's face turned bright red.

"N-No!" she protested. "That's not it at all! I just… My boat told me to…" Every defense Tetra had up crumbled as she began to break down. Tears spilled out of her eyes and she hiccupped with sobs.

"T-Tetra?" Quil stammered as Tetra made a feeble attempt to dry her tears. "I… I'm sorry… I never meant to—"

"No," Tetra protested. "It's just that…" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and forced a smile. "My boat… the King of Red Lions… he told me that this was the only way I could save my sister, so…" Quil nodded solemnly.

"I see," he said understandingly. "Well in that case, I apologize. I never meant to insinuate that you were—"

"It's ok," Tetra said hurriedly. "Don't worry about it." Quil gave her a gentle smile and she wiped away the rest of her tears.

"Just out of curiosity, do you know how to play that Ocarina?" he asked her.

"I don't have a clue," Tetra answered flatly. "All I know is that you blow in here," she ran her finger over the spike, "and cover the holes to play different notes. Besides that…"

"Perhaps we can teach you some songs to play on that instrument while you are here," Quil offered. "But now is not the time. I really should be leaving."

"I'm sorry I kept you here for so long," Tetra apologized.

"It wasn't your fault," Quil assured her. "It was a pleasure talking with you, Tetra." And with that he flew off. Tetra made her way over to her bed and slipped Link's necklace over her head before laying down on it. She stared up at the ceiling, clutching the Ocarina of Time tightly in her hands.

XX

**Aaaand that was my first attempt at inserting flashbacks to further explain Tetra's relationship with Aryll. The game didn't really dwell too much on that, so I thought I'd elaborate here. And as for Tetra's breakdown, I… honestly don't know where I was going with that. I guess I was just trying to show how even Tetra, who tries to keep a brave face all the time, crumbles under pressure sometimes. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Ok_, Tetra thought as she stepped into the hallway after taking a rather long nap. _First order of business: find Medli._ She wandered aimlessly through the various rooms in the Rito's "post office," as she so affectionately named the place Quill had brought her. _Did the Chieftain even say where Medli would be?_ As Tetra exited one room (which happened to be empty), she collided with a young girl about her age. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had a golden beak instead of a nose. "I'm sorry!" she apologized promptly, breaking away from Tetra.

"Don't worry about it," Tetra replied, dusting herself off. The Rito girl stared at Tetra, studying her features.

"Wait a minute…" she whispered. "Blonde hair… pointy ears… you must be Tetra!"

"Yeah…" Tetra replied awkwardly. "Um, sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, me?" the girl asked. "I'm an attendant to the great sky spirit Valoo. My name is Medli…"

"Medli!" Tetra gasped. "You're Medli!"

"Yeah!" Medli replied, trying to mimic Tetra's cheerfulness. "Um… well, to tell the truth… I'm not an attendant quite yet. I'm actually still studying to be one."

"Oh, that's ok," Tetra said dismissively. "Look, the Chieftain told me to look for you—"

"Oh what am I thinking?" Medli gasped. She handed Tetra a sealed envelope. "Here! The Chieftain wanted me to give you this!"

"Komali?" Tetra read on the envelope. "Prince Komali? His son? Why doesn't he just talk to him?"

"We're Rito," Medli said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "Postmen."

"Yeah, but don't you think this is going a bit overboard?" Tetra muttered.

"Um…" Medli mumbled. "The Chieftain is very busy, so that's why he—"

"You mean he had time to write this letter, but he didn't have time to talk to his own son?" Tetra asked indignantly. Medli began fidgeting nervously.

"You make him sound like such a terrible father…" she mumbled sadly. Tetra sighed and shook her head.

"Whatever," she said. "Where can I find Komali?"

"His room is the one way in the back on the first floor," Medli answered. "You have to go down a couple steps to get there. When you meet him, please don't get offended by his manner. He has no bad intentions, I promise." Tetra frowned.

"Why would I get offended?" she asked.

"It's just…" Medli said. "He can be… rather antisocial. He doesn't really like talking to strangers."

"Ok, so I should get going," Tetra said as she proceeded to leave.

"Wait!" Medli called. "There's… um… I have a small favor I'd like to ask of you…" Tetra sighed.

"Medli, I'm kind of on a tight schedule, and I really have to save my sister from the Forsaken Fortress," Tetra explained.

"It'll only take a few minutes, I promise!" Medli interjected. "Could you please come to the entrance of Dragon Roost Cavern at sundown? I'll explain everything then." Tetra frowned slightly.

"Something tells me this is a bad idea," she mumbled uncertainly. Medli clasped her hands together and stared at her with wide red eyes.

"Please!" she begged. "This is really important!" Tetra nodded.

"Ok," she agreed. "It's the least I can do after all your people have done for me."

"Thank you!" Medli replied cheerfully.

* * *

With Medli's instructions, it wasn't terribly difficult finding Komali's room. It was rather grand and spacious, circularly shaped with a soft rug on the ground and various decorations hanging on the walls. A young Rito boy with white hair lay on the bed, cradling a large red sphere. He sat up as Tetra shut the door behind her and frowned quizzically at her. "Who are you supposed to be?" he asked rudely. Tetra clenched her fists as she bit back an angry retort.

"Are you Komali?" she asked. The Rito boy flopped back down on the bed.

"That's _Prince_ Komali to you," he corrected. Tetra hated him so much. "And why do you care?"

"I have a letter from your father," Tetra said as she handed him the envelope Medli had given her.

"A letter?" he repeated. "From my father?" He promptly snatched the letter from Tetra, tore open the envelope, and began reading it. Tetra crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You know, a little _thank you_ would be nice," she grumbled.

"Oh sure, telling me to be brave is easy enough for him…" Komali mumbled. "It's not like he's the one who went through that horrible experience. It's not like _he_ still has to get a scale from Valoo." That was the final straw.

"Man up!" Tetra yelled. "I went through a horrible experience too, you know. I saw my sister kidnapped by an oversized Cucco _on my birthday_! I went to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue her, and was almost _killed_ by the person in charge. And you know what? _I'm going back_. I'm going to keep fighting, and I'm not going to stop until Aryll's home, safe and sound! And if I can do it, so can you, so just man up already!"

"Stop poking your nose in other people's business!" Komali yelled back, standing up, hugging the sphere even tighter.

"Your dad's going through a lot of trouble right now, and the _least_ you can do is make things _easier_ for him by going to see Valoo!" Tetra yelled.

"I don't want to see him!" Komali shot back. "I'm never going back up there!"

"Stop being such a selfish little brat!" Tetra yelled.

"What, are you trying to say that _you_ can calm Valoo down?" Komali asked, his voice becoming dangerously low. "Psssssh! That's just a big fat lie! It's easy to _say_ you can do anything! Bragging doesn't cost a thing!"

"I never said that!" Tetra refuted. "Seriously, _when_ did you hear me say, 'Oh Komali, I can go and calm down Valoo for you! Don't worry about a thing!'?"

"I'll tell you what," Komali said. "If you can find me someone who can get past all the obstacles on Dragon Roost to get to Valoo… _then_ I'll listen to anything you say!"

"Fine!" Tetra yelled. "I'll go up there and calm him down myself! If I can't stop you from being a whiny, self-absorbed son of a Like-Like, I can at least do that!"

"Good!" Komali yelled. Tetra stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

"I don't believe him!" Tetra ranted to Link as she lay on the bed the Ritos had lent her, Link's pendant exposed on her chest. "Now I'm not saying I'm the Hero of Time or anything, but how hard can it be to go up to a dragon and get a scale? Especially since the dragon's supposed to be friendly?"

"Well he's _not_ friendly right now, is he?" Link asked. Tetra sighed.

"No, he's on a mad rampage," she grumbled.

"So let me get this straight," Link said, amusement evident in his voice. "You got into a shouting match with the Chieftain's son and called him… What was it? A son of a Like-Like? You know, you just insulted his father there too."

"I don't care!" Tetra yelled. "All I want to do is get off this stupid island and save Aryll, but my boat said that I can't do that without Din's Pearl."

"Din's Pearl?" Link repeated. "You're there for Din's Pearl?"

"Yeah, I have to ask Valoo for it," Tetra replied distractedly, playing with her hair. "You wouldn't happen to know about it, would you?"

"All I know is that there are two other pearls like it that unlock a sort of gateway to the gods," Link explained. "But on its own? Completely worthless."

"Do you at least know what it looks like?" Tetra asked. "I think my boat wants me to get to that gateway thing."

"It's rather big for a pearl," Link said. "It's red, and it has Din's symbol on it." Tetra sprang up suddenly.

"Komali…" she whispered. "He had that pearl with him! I don't need to go to Valoo! I have to—"

"Didn't you just say he's not going to listen to you until you calm down Valoo?" Link reminded her.

"Din's fire…" Tetra cursed. The room was suddenly bathed in a warm red-orange light. "Oh, Link, I have to go. I told Medli I'd help her out with something at sundown."

"And are you going to talk to Valoo?" he asked.

"Of course!" Tetra replied as she strapped her sword and shield on.

"Be careful," Link warned. "If he's on a rampage like you said, you could get seriously hurt."

"Link, I was tossed out into the Great Sea, and I survived," Tetra said in annoyance. "I think I can handle a dragon."

"I'm not so sure about this…" Link mumbled.

"I'll be fine," Tetra assured him. "Really."

"I'm not taking my eyes off you until you come back down, safe and sound."

"Fine by me."

* * *

The air was filled with dust, and it made Tetra's head hurt and her eyes water. She rubbed her eyes as she slowly made her way over to Medli. Medli's eyes widened in surprise and relief when she saw Tetra. "Hey, you actually came!" she said.

"Yeah, I did," Tetra muttered back. "Remind me again why we're meeting here."

"I'm really sorry for bringing you to such a dangerous place," Medli apologized, "but I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't desperate! You see this place?" Tetra gazed around. A large boulder lay in the middle of the crater in which she and Medli were standing, and there was a puddle of muddy water surrounding it. "There used to be a spring here, surrounded by a beautiful pond… It was so peaceful and lovely…"

"It doesn't really look like a spring to me," Tetra said. "So what happened to it?" Medli stared down in sadness.

"The great Valoo…" she whispered. "He became so angry, and… In his rage, he shook the mountain and this boulder crashed down, plugging the spring. You can see the result." Tetra clenched her fists.

"All right, now I'm _definitely_ going up there to calm him down," she asserted. Realization dawned on Medli.

"Oh, what am I thinking?" she berated herself. "How was Prince Komali?" Tetra groaned. _This is just great. How am I supposed to say he was being a selfish little prick without hurting her feelings?_ "I'm sorry… I may be partially to blame for the bad turn that Prince Komali's taken…"

"I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong," Tetra assured her. "Don't blame yourself."

"You see, Prince Komali's grandmother was the great Valoo's former attendant," Medli explained. "She was an amazing woman. I was honored to have her as my teacher… She was kind and brave, and unsurpassed in her dealings with the great Valoo. I'm not yet worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as her. If only I'd possessed some of her strength, I'm sure Prince Komali would have felt more secure." Tetra smiled wistfully as she thought of her own grandmother, probably sitting at home right now and making soup. _Poor Grandma… I wonder how she's doing…_ "Tetra, I'm sorry to ask this… but I really need your help!"

"What do you want me to do?" Tetra asked.

"I want to go to the small shrine near the peak of Dragon Roost, but that ledge over there is so high," Medli said, gesturing behind her. Tetra squinted up to where she was pointing and frowned.

"Why isn't there a ladder over there like there is over here?" she asked. Medli shrugged.

"We're Rito," she said. "We would be able to fly." Tetra groaned as she made her way over to the boulder in the center of the crater.

"All right," she said. "You said there was a lake here, right?"

"That's right," Medli replied.

"If we can find some way to get rid of this boulder," Tetra said, kicking it half-heartedly, "we could _swim_ across."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Medli agreed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a glass bottle. "Here, this might help." Tetra smirked.

"I think I might have an idea…" she mused as she scooped some water with the bottle. She pocketed the bottle and began to climb the ladder behind her. "Follow me!"

"R-Right!" Medli agreed as she proceeded to climb the ladder as well. Tetra made her way over to five red, shriveled up plants.

"These look a lot like those bomb flowers I saw outside," Tetra said. "They grow really fast, so I'm sure we can grow some bombs with a little water." She opened the bottle and poured the water over the bomb flowers. Sure enough, they regained their color, and little blue bombs sprouted from them. "See?"

"Wow!" Medli gasped. "I've never noticed these flowers here! You could blow up the boulder with these!"

"Exactly," Tetra affirmed, smirking. She plucked one of the bombs and chucked it over the ledge. It landed on the boulder, and Tetra and Medli covered their ears. There was a loud boom, and chunks of the boulder flew everywhere. Water began jutting from the ground, and, within minutes, the crater was filled with water. "And now we can get across."

"Here, lift me up," Medli instructed.

"Why?" Tetra asked, frowning at her.

"If my wings get wet, I won't be able to fly," she told Tetra. "It'll be easier if we just fly across." Tetra nodded as she proceeded to lift Medli onto her shoulders.

"This better work," Tetra mumbled as she leapt off the ledge. She squeezed her eyes shut as she and Medli glided over the water, and was all too pleased to find solid ground beneath her feet seconds later. They stood before a dark cavern, an opening between two adjacent rocks. Tetra turned to Medli. "Let's go."

"R-Right," Medli agreed as they both stepped into Dragon Roost Cavern.

XX

**I'M NOT DEAD! That's all I have to say. This chapter felt really slow for some reason… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE REVIEW!**


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